Mediterranean Coast
Oludeniz lagoon © Jason Dixon
The coastline along the Mediterranean Sea is an alluring destination, renowned for its magnificent scenery with picturesque coves and rocky headlands, turquoise waters, golden beaches and pine forests. The beautiful landscape, where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean is the beginning of the Turquoise Coast, dominated by the mountains of the Taurus range whose cliffs plunge into the sea of intense blue. Further along the Mediterranean one reaches the Turkish Riviera as it is known, the region of Antalya; and together these make up the tourism capital of Turkey. Simple villages share the water's edge with sophisticated resorts, and fishing vessels and pleasure yachts mingle together in the sheltered harbours. Endless days of sunshine make it a paradise for boat cruises, sunbathing and swimming and numerous water sports, and there are a variety of restaurants and bars to round off a day on the water.

The coast also boasts a rich cultural legacy from early civilisations and is imbued with history and legend, found in ancient cities and at sites such as the fires of Chimaera at Olympos, and numerous ruins dotted about the countryside.



Resorts

See our separate guides to the following Mediterranean Coast holiday resorts: Dalyan, Kalkan, Kemer, Belek, Alanya, Fethiye, Antalya, Calis, Turunc, Kas, Marmaris, Oludeniz, Hisaronu, Side and Icmeler

Excursions

Olympos and the Fires of Chimaera

The ancient site of Olympos dates back to Hellenistic times when it was an important Lycian city and became famous as a place of worship honouring Hephaestos or Vulcan, the God of Fire. Located on a beautiful sandy bay, the ruins are spread out on either side of the Ulupinar River and include a Byzantine bathhouse with mosaic floors, a marble temple entrance, a theatre, and some excavated tombs. The shoreline is also a major protected nesting site for sea turtles. On the rocky slopes above the ancient city are a series of eternal flames issuing from cracks in the rock, caused by the combustion of natural gas seeping out of the mountain. It is possible to extinguish them briefly, but they will always re-ignite and are most impressive in the dark when at their most visible. The fire that comes out of the ground is said to be coming from the mouth of Chimaera, a mythical fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake’s tail, who was slain by the Lydian hero, Bellerophon on his winged horse, Pegasus.

Address: Çirali; Transport: The bus from Antalya to Olympos takes 1.5 hours. In season minibuses travel to Çirali from where the eternal flames are less than a mile (1.5km) walk away

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